Episode 9
Episode 9 - pending final by EmeraldEyes14, Nov 6, 2012, 3:59:16 PM Scene 1 A rather small corridor at Benzen, lined with doors. There are strong ceiling lights and the windowless walls are painted light grey. The scene has a professional, yet somewhat distant appearance. It is completely silent apart from some subtle whirring in the background. MASTER is standing in the middle of the corridor opposite a woman in a white lab coat. OKADA: (formally, politely) Good morning, Mr. Takahashi. The system you requested is ready. MASTER: a brief grateful smile Thank you, Ms. Okada. OKADA: nods That’s quite alright. We’re glad to have you working alongside us again. Follow me. and OKADA walk to the door nearest to the end of the corridor. OKADA tries the door handle. It is locked. OKADA: (seriously) Good. takes a key out from the pocket of her coat and begins to unlock the [http://sta.sh/01eg26txh4ml# door with ease.] MASTER: (confused) What do you mean? OKADA: Besides being highly restricted technology, the system is…how would you put this…delicate. Complex and delicate. By that, I mean even the tiniest break in the smallest of wires could cause serious issues with the program. (small laugh) We don’t want anyone messing around here. MASTER: Ah, of course not. gently pushes the door open. A [http://sta.sh/01eg26txh4ml# storage room is revealed, filled with several boxes of different sizes.] OKADA: The materials for the physical body aren’t ready yet, but I believe this should be all you need for the first stage. As I’ve said, we value the robotics expertise you’re bringing to the company, so we’re willing to provide you with the latest technology. You- and you alone, I hear- know how to create the so-called soul. I can’t pretend to understand how it works, but I assume it will take a while for you to set all the specifics? MASTER: Oh, no, I purposefully searched for a method that let most the personality develop by itself. All I specify is a certain age and gender. OKADA: A fourteen-year-old boy, was it? In that case, we’ll begin preparing the physical resources for your android now. MASTER: (almost embarrassed) It’s a VOCALOID. OKADA: an eyebrow Alright. pauses Anyway, I hope this is sufficient. stares at the boxes, overwhelmed. OKADA: (smiling) Don’t worry. We’ll help you move those. Scene 2 A room in Viper’s base. There is a desk in the corner, with blue-tinted sheets of paper piled on it. Viper is pacing up and down the room with a furious expression, holding a sleek yet slightly worn suitcase. While Viper is walking away from the door, it opens, and Neru confidently bounds in with Haku trailing behind reluctantly. VIPER: turning to face them (menacingly) Hmph! Just who I wanted to see! NERU: (whispering) Haku What’s up with her? HAKU: a finger to her own lips Shh. VIPER: (frustrated) What’s up is that someone appears to have done this opens the suitcase upside-down, letting several screwed up pieces of paper inside fall to the ground to my documents. My important documents. HAKU: Neru This is exactly how I told you she’d react. VIPER: to Neru You! I should have known. NERU: (fearfully yet defensively) H-Hey, sorry. I just thought they’d be great for playing catch with- there’s not much to do around he- VIPER: (hissing) Catch? You used my research papers to play catch? NERU: (quickly) Well, if it helps, to Haku Ms Boring didn’t want to play. VIPER: (snapping) Ugh! Useless…absolutely useless! HAKU: looks offended, then shakes her head (quietly) Neru…let’s go. glances again at Viper and then quickly follows Haku out of the room. A few seconds after they are gone, Viper storms towards the desk, sits at it and grabs a sheet of paper and a pen. She begins to furiously sketch and write on the paper, although her work cannot be seen by the viewer yet. Scene 3 The piano room. KAITO is hunched up underneath the piano with his scarf pulled over his head, trying not to be seen. MEIKO walks into the room, looks around and notices him quickly. She smiles and reaches over to suddenly play a loud crash of notes on the piano. KAITO: (shocked, voice muffled by his scarf) Agh! quickly crawls out from under the piano and stands up, pulling his scarf back around his neck. MEIKO: (bored) Found you. walks in. MIKU: KAITO? Are you okay? I heard someone yell. KAITO: grinning I-I’m fine, thanks! MIKU: Good! MEIKO Whose turn is it to seek now? MEIKO: shrugs Meh, you know what? This is getting boring. Really boring. And I’m not just saying that because of KAITO’s award-worthy ability to find theworst hiding places known to man. KAITO: So what should we do now? Master been gone for- on his fingers at least six hours. MEIKO: (confidently) We’ll head on over and check up on him! MIKU: Are you sure we won’t be a bother? MEIKO: Nah, he must be lonely working all by himself! He’ll appreciate it, I’m certain. thinks Mind if we stop off at the bar first, though? I haven’t had a proper drink in ages. MIKU: (tentatively) Actually, MEIKO, maybe it would be best if you waited until afterwards… KAITO: Yeah, it might make us look bad if you showed up to his latest big project drunk and- hits him. Ow! (to himself) Why is it always me? Scene 4 Back to the room from Scene 2. VIPER is still at her desk. She places her pen down. Although the viewer can see she has completed a blueprint, what it is of is unclear. VIPER: (exhaustedly) There! moves slightly back in her seat to see the blueprint properly. She originally looks satisfied, but then frowns. No…no, it’s no good. stands up and glares at the paper before walking away, leaving it on VIPER: (muttering furiously) Why can’t I do anything right? blueprint is shown properly. It is a design of Teto. VIPER: What a joke… Scene 5 The Benzen lab. A new system has been set up. There are three monitors- one quite large, two smaller. There is a complex keyboard in front of them. They are connected to a large computer. Wires trail from the computer across the ground. MASTER: (to himself) There’s a sort of nostalgia about all this… pauses for several seconds, then rests his arms at his sides, looking through the coding. Yes, this should work. presses a single key and the largest monitor switches its display to show a loading bar with “SOUL CODE DEVELOPING” above it in block capitals. The smaller monitors light up to display various numbers and symbols. Master smiles gently. The bar loads quickly to around 90%, then there is the sound of the door opening- the area around the door cannot be seen at this point- and a crash. Immediately, the bar flashes red and “ERROR” appears. MASTER: at the monitors (shocked) W-What…what’s happening? MEIKO: unseen (yelling) KAITO! You…you idiot! turns to the door quickly. Just in front of the door, KAITO has fallen over and one of the wires is tangled around his ankle, clearly disconnected from another. MEIKO and Miku are standing behind him. All three look terrified, particularly KAITO, who struggles to stand up. KAITO: (panicking) No! I’m so sorry! quickly clicks the wires back together. All look at the monitors in desperation, and the loading bar resumes and fills. The text on the monitor changes to “PROCESS INTERUPPTED. SECOND ATTEMPT”, and the bar restarts loading. MIKU: (worriedly) Is it okay now…? MASTER: at the screens helplessly (stunned) It’s creating a copy… bar loads to 50%. Master presses keys desperately. “TRAITS AUTO-REVERSED” flashes on the screen. MASTER: It won’t work! It’s just switching around the set aspects! bar fills completely. KAITO: (guiltily) I’ve ruined everything, haven’t I? does not answer. MIKU: Are you sure there isn’t anything you can do? MASTER: (hesitantly) I suppose… presses several keys at once, and text appears on the screen: “DELETE COPIED DATA? Y/N”. His finger hovers above the Y key, but he reads the text again. MASTER: Hm? (in realization) Of course…two sets of data have been created…one for a boy, and one for a girl…opposites, yet the same. Twins. moves his hand back from the Y key decisively. Kaito? KAITO: flinching (worried) Yes? MASTER: Would you phone Benzen for me? Tell them I’m going to need twice as many resources. KAITO: (in surprised relief) Oh- okay! quickly leaves the lab. MEIKO: (confused) You’re not going to delete anything? But isn’t the second copy glitched? MASTER: Yes. But even so…let’s give it- (stops) her, a try. screen is shown in full. An “N” appears below the text, and the scene fades out. END